Rapid advancements in drone technology, both military and civilian, have reshaped the Russia-Ukraine war on a number of occasions since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Recently, Ukrainian drones successfully hit a number of valuable oil depots and refineries deep within Russia, while Russian drones struck the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv itself.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan says that the Ukrainians are again demonstrating new tactical and strategic abilities, specifically the ability for their drones to hit targets over 600 miles away. Zeihan argues that the selection of their targets also shows a deepening Ukrainian understanding of Russian vulnerabilities on both military and economic fronts.

The following is an excerpt from Peter’s April 3 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

The Ukrainians are getting creative and finding ways to launch longer-range attacks on Russian infrastructure. We’ve already seen strikes on pipeline nexuses and chemical complexes as deep as Samara and Tatarstan.

Attacks like these hold significant economic implications for the Russians, as any disruptions to these oil facilities could be devastating. The issue isn’t so much that Ukraine is poking holes in Russian air defense, but perhaps exposing that there… isn’t any.

Attacks like these will likely prove to be a growing challenge for Russian security and economic stability as the conflict continues.